Madame de Staël

(Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein: 22 April 1766 – 14 July 1817; photo is from Wikipedia)

An Indiana connection to this French-speaking author of Swiss origin? Bien sûr!

The Madame de Staël Collection resides at Butler University, Indianapolis.

”The more I see of men the more I like dogs,” is one of Madame de Staël’s oftquoted epigrams. During her lifetime, Staël’s words were powerful enough to have her banned from her home country. Napoleon was so upset by her praise for German culture in De l’Allemagne that in 1810 he exiled Staël from France."

The collection, donated by Esther A. Renfrew Paddock, contains materials by and about Madame de Staël. Some items are in French. Materials are cataloged in the library’s on-line catalog and may be found by searching on the following form of Staël’s name as both author and subject: Staël, Madame de (Anne-Louise-Germaine), 1766-1817.

Dante

(Durante degli Alighieri (May/June c.1265 – September 14, 1321), commonly known as Dante)

An Indiana connection? Of course!

One of the most complete collection of Dante's work (3,000+ volumes) is found in the Zahm Dante Collection at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend.

"Purchased for the most part by John A. Zahm, C.S.C., in 1902 from the Italian Dantophile Giulio Acquaticci, the 15th- and 16th-century imprints form the heart of the Dante collection, which totals nearly 3,000 volumes. Rare editions and critical studies ranging from the Renaissance to the present include eight incunabula and almost every edition published in the 16th century."

In addition, "The William & Katherine Devers Program in Dante Studies at the University of Notre Dame supports rare book acquisitions in the John A. Zahm, C.S.C., Dante Collection, as well as teaching and research about Dante across the Arts & Letters curriculum, in particular in the Medieval and Italian Studies areas, through the sponsorship of conferences, fellowships, lecture series, seminars, and visiting professorships."

Lotus Dickey

Lotus Dickey (1911-1989)

The folk singer, songwriter, and musician from rural Orange County, Indiana, wrote tunes and songs that drew from his family and community, as well as from country singers and fiddlers he heard on the radio. Each year, the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival in Bloomington honors Lotus Dickey's memory.

(more to come)

Kurt Vonnegut

born in Indianapolis

books:
"Cat's Cradle"
etc.

more to come